The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1887-10-18
THE BURIAL OF THE DEAD
Father 0'Donaghue's Lecture on the Gus
toms Among Different Races,
How the Egyptians Preserved Their Dead
Superstition of Savages-Epitaphs That
May Be Seen in Indiana Graveyards.

In connection with the home-rule fair Father
O'Donaghue last night delivered the second lect-
ure OF the Leonine Union course His subject
was Burial Usages from the Savage to the
Sage" He said that the subject
was an interesting one though 1t had not been
talked OF on the lecture platform. He would
like to know just what the people did when they
buried him-what they said and how they acted.
1t would DE q capital time to find ont what they
thought of him. No matter how savage a race
may be its better instincts rise in the face OF
death. and the asperities OF humanity
smoothed down. Who can look down on
the cold face of even enemy and not feel
computations throb for his enmity. If we wish
to study q nations belief. the besrway is to ex-
anime how they dispose of their dead. The
burial customs show that every nation. mat
ter how rude has believed that death was not
the end Of man. In all there is some prepare
ton for future existence The country of the
man who believes, processes to believe. that
death ends all, is no country when the dead are
buried. He il an exotic everywhere. He has
no country. The strongest argument outside Of
the Bible and the teachings Of the true church of
God that man 10 immortal, is found in this uni
versal faith. It Is found even in those peoples
of whom nothing is known except what their
graves have recorded, such the mound-build-
Of this country.
The Egyptians preserved their dead. They
built the stupendous pyramids for the tombs of
their Kings. The great intelligence of this peo-
pie Is shown in the Bible by the record that
their wise men performed as great prodieies
Moses until he received the power of life and
death. It is interesting to know what such
people thought Of the hereafter. Many have
4hns~ osao Nh~x &t,x~
serve their dead instead of burying or burning
them7 The reason is that they believed the
soul lowered about the body as long as it was
preserved, and that at some time in the future
IL would re-enter il, and go to live
in the happy land. At the time of
death the females Of the household
ran into the streets and covered their faces with
mud Meanwhile. other persons carried the
body to the embalmers, and wailing kept
up about the house until the embalming was
finished. The body then brought back and
given q room in the house. whore it was stood up
against the wall At times il was brought to
the table at meal time, and sometimes it was
carried about the streets, possibly to let the
public know there was q corpse in the family.
At the end of year the time of burial came
and procession was formed to accompany the
mummy to its resting place. HALF way they
there were forty-two in the kingdom, and
the judgment of the dead took place. Anyone
VINO chose might prefer charges against the
cuser was subjected to the punishment which
would have been visited on the dead in life If
the charge had been proven then. If no charge
on and entombsc the remains If one were
proven the procession turned back and the
humiliated family were subject to the jeers OF
their neiehbors, while the condemned soul was
to airn1a at
1t is evident that they had perverted idea of
the system OF rewards and punishments.
It is generally known that the Chinese coolies
who come to this country have their remains
buried hero only temporarily. and that after
wards they are taken to the Celestial empire.
This is done IN the belief that when the last
trump calls all washermen TO life they would
be lost if not buried in their own country. The
great event OF Chinaman's life is his death. 1t
wants as much pomp and display then as posi-
ble ST have seen something of that" said the
speaker. Eat some Irish funerals They have
wakes too They commence weeping at
q signal and stop at signal. They
have it down fine that they quit
in the middle of a groan. All the acquaintance
family furnish them food, lodging and clothing
during the two or three weeks they remain The
Chinese religion is a perfection Of diabolism.
They think that the devils, who want to get the
body of the dead, very avaricous. and
they scatter pieces Of red paper, resembling
their money. as they go to the grave. thinking
away until the body is underground, whom it
will be safe"
The American Indians buried their dead with
their arms and other things that they had loved
in life. Their funeral discourses were addressed
to the dead, not to his surviving friends. In
some cases living persons were buried with them
The Scythians also sometimes buried the
living and dead together. They worshiped
their King, and when he died they carried
his remains in procession through the
cities of the kingdom. A large pit
dug for his grave. and at its margin
the five principal persons of the kingdom. in
Guiding his favorite wife and cup-bearer
were strangled and thrown in to bear him COM
pany. Each year fifty more were killed to join
him, and it is said they struggled to be first to
be strangled. 81 would have objected to such
proceeding" remarked the speaker. II should
have told them that friend of the de-
ceased, and that would make it hot for him if
I was sent below to join him"
A curious thing about burials Is the Unsuitable
dssire to exact homage from futurity which
manifests itself by imposing monuments and
stately inscriptions. Some epitaphs abso-
lutely ridiculous. Over grave in this State is
the inscription:
Hear lie two babies DEAR
Born without sin;
May God raise them up.